How to Upgrade Your Dab Rig: The 14mm, 90-Degree Water Pipe Edition

Has your old rig been ditched in the back of a closet, a forgotten friend, like an adult version of Toy Story (we’re crying already). Did you know there are tons of way to spark a new life for your reliable old pal? This guide is here to help you rekindle the flame between you and your old water pipe.

The 14mm, 90-degree male water pipe is most often a dab rig for your favorite concentrates. Check out our upcoming female edition for some dry herb delight. Or you can simply add a female bowl slide (or even a male-to-female adapter with a male bowl slide!) -- the options our endless in modern water pipe design.

We've inserted links to all 14mm, 90-degree male compatible accessories. If you drift off this list to other eye-catching pieces, just be sure to match your joint diameter (14mm), angle (90-degrees), and gender (male)

Not sure what all of these are for? No worries; we’ll dive right in so you know the next perfect accessory for your water pipe.

#1 It's All About the Nail

Meet the underrated powerhouse behind dab rigs. The nail you choose can make or break the delivery of your rig, and many manufacturers include a basic glass dome and nail expecting you to upgrade.

The nail is where you "dab" waxy extracts, similar to a bowl slide on a dry herb pipe. What’s great about dabbing is that it acts similarly to a vape: the concentrate doesn’t combust in the nail, as you need with dry herb. Instead, you heat your wax to a high temperature and it produces vapor instead of smoke, giving you a clean, even rip. Yum.

The Bestselling Dab Nails Are Made Of:

QUARTZ NAILS

Quartz nails look just like a glass nail but wow, are they powerful: it can withstand higher heat, won’t break as easily as a standard glass nail, and is easy to clean. It won’t hold heat too well, but that’s the only downside. They’re also a little cheaper than titanium and ceramic nails even though they boast the purest quality of delivery.

CERAMIC NAILS

Ceramic nails can maintain torch-hot heat for an impressive amount of time. (Second-best only to titanium!) While they can be a bit fragile, concentrate fans delight over ceramic's fresh, full-flavor delivery which makes ceramic equally popular in vaporizer heating chambers! These nails boast food-grade purity just like quartz.

TITANIUM NAILS

High quality titanium nails heat quickly and hold heat well, too.

Quartz and ceramic fans prefer a purer taste, but tried-and-true titanium lovers love how long these nails last, how hot they get, and how many times you can get away with dropping them!

THE E-NAIL

We don’t know what will spice up your old bong more than a high-tech e-nail. While an e-Rig includes the entire rig, the e-nail rests on the joint of your favorite rig for easy, butane-free inhales.

These electronic nails perfectly control the temperature of your concentrates, maintaining consistency so that you don’t have to worry about it.

GLASS NAILS

Your water pipe will probably come with a standard glass nail; they’re easy to clean, but don’t have as many great features as some of the nails above.

Glass nails are best for first-timers, but if you're going to invest in quality concentrates it's probably time to upgrade.

Plus, they are known for breaking faster than you can say “I love my 14mm 90 degree water pipe.”

#2 Reclaim catchers

For our more experienced dabbers out there, you know and have felt the pain of seeing your dab wasted in your water pipe. Sitting there unused, alone, it looks pretty disgusting actually. What if there was a way to scoop it all up and enjoy some leftovers? There is!

Reclaim catchers are all about the 3 R’s: Reclaim, Recycle, Rip! These dab rig accessories will not only help you clean your water pipe, you get to say hi to your favorite herb again. Put the oil back on your nail or make some treats for your 4/20-themed party.

#3 Bowl Slide for Dual Function

Operating solely as a flower head, you might not be the dabbing type. What’s great about a dab rig is the functionality: you can use more than just nails for concentrate. Add a bowl to your bong and enjoy your herb! You can find bowls that look like baby pandas or an avocado. Yeah, it’s cute.

Make sure you have some sort of screen so the herb doesn’t clog your pipe. You can get a mesh screen to add on to the bowl or something like a honeycomb screen bowl that will automatically catch any stray flowers from getting into your bong.

#4 Diffused Downstems

Do you wish every hit you took were smooth and delicious? You need a downstem! Nothing boasts more of craftsmanship and care than diffused downstems. A type of percolator, downstems are hand cut pieces of glass with tiny holes in the end (which goes into the water inside the bong) to give you the purest form of smoke you can find with your bong. A good way to think about choosing one is that when there’s more holes at the downstem’s end, the higher quality and smoother hit you’ll get.

A word about size: even if you find the right gender and diameter, you’ll need to decide how long the downstem is. What you’re looking for is a downstem that will reach comfortably into the water of your pipe--not too high or low. Don’t worry about sticking a ruler into your bong: try the old pencil trick and stick a pen or pencil into your bong. See how much of it goes inside, then measure the length of the pencil once you take it out of your bong. Now you know what size to order!

#5 Dabbers

Once you’ve gotten your nail, don’t think you’re ready to dab: the nail is going to be super hot, and you’ll burn your fingers if you try to stick on concentrate with your bare hands. Also, don’t use a fork or knife--it will transfer heat quickly and burn your hand.

Ok, so that’s kind of scary, but it’s also why there’s an insane variety of dabbers to choose from! This is where your personality comes out in smoking: you’ll find lots of fun dabbers to express your true self while ripping on your favorite bong. From crayons to Pokemon, sushi narwhals to regular narwhals (for the more tame whale-lover), express yourself with your choice of dabber.

While we’re on dabbers, you might want to know about carb caps; they often come with dabbers when you buy them. These little accessories are fantastic for helping you get a smoother rip from your bong, as they help retain heat and control the air flow to your concentrate; they’re actually pretty complicated, but once you try dabbing with a carb cap, there’s no going back.

#6 Dab Dishers and Storage Jars

Can you ever dab enough? We’ll let you decide, but rest assured that when you need to do a little clean up and storage, we’ve got you covered with silicone storage jars and some fun “nectar collectors.” Storing in food-grade silicone has become the collection method of choice for most dabbers simply for its ease in holding sticky substances. Much like dabbers, you can have some fun with these storage jars and store your favorite wax in a silicone Pokeball jar or lego blocks.

For hands-free clean up, we’re loving these nectar collectors. They suck up any remaining concentrate, leaving your hands nice and clean. You can also store leftover wax here and reapply it for your next dabbing session with ease. Careful to not let mom think it’s a poultry baster.

Rummage through your closet this week and bring out your old bong to show it some love. Whether it’s a new dabber or nail, there’s a million ways to make the old new again, especially with your classic water pipe.

What are your favorite accessories for bongs? Let us know in the comments!

Julia Abney

Julia, a flower child hailing from Spain, discovered her love of fresh herbs years ago when she accidentally became head of product at a farm in Oregon. She promises to not bias her guides too much towards vaporizers, but no guarantees!